Kathmandu, February 5
Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba is holding talks with leaders of the United Democratic Madheshi Front on Sunday afternoon.
Deuba has invited UDMF leaders for the meeting at his residence in Budhanilkantha, at 3 pm. The meeting is taking place at a time when political parties remain divided over whether to conduct elections first or amend the Constitution first.
UDMF has said it will not go for elections without Constitution amendment. The front has said it will withdraw support to the government if the government heads towards polls without amending the Charter.
The main opposition CPN-UML has been pressing the government to conduct elections first by putting the Constitution on hold. UDMF has been saying that Constitution amendment should take place before the elections.
On Friday, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ held talks with UDMF leaders. Deuba was not present at the talks, a source said, adding that CPN-Maoist Centre, which leads the current government, is not attending Sunday’s Budhanilkantha talks.
The government has directed the Election Commission to start preparations for elections, though it has not been able to fix the exact date for the polls due to UDMF’s objections.
